Rate the Ads
- Nara's HYBRID PLUS CD
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- August 26, 2008
- Submitted by SeaTail
- Greenwashing Index Rating: 3.67
- Rate it »
- UK Shell Ad Ruled Misleading
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- August 18, 2008
- Submitted by bigjoe106
- Greenwashing Index Rating: 5
- Rate it »
- UK Shell Ad Ruled Misleading
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- August 18, 2008
- Submitted by bigjoe106
- Greenwashing Index Rating: 5
- Rate it »
- The Reverse Graffiti Project
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- August 5, 2008
- Submitted by Andy320
- Greenwashing Index Rating: 1.13
- Rate it »
- Get green. Stay green. With all-in-one PC protection
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- July 25, 2008
- Submitted by jetster
- Greenwashing Index Rating: 3.55
- Rate it »
- The Human Element
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- July 9, 2008
- Submitted by daviddeal10
- Greenwashing Index Rating: 3.6
- Rate it »
- Anco Guards Against Greenwashing
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- July 8, 2008
- Submitted by dir_rohena
- Greenwashing Index Rating: 1
- Rate it »
- GM Project Green
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- June 19, 2008
- Submitted by billyj
- Greenwashing Index Rating: 3.81
- Rate it »
- IBM TV Commercials on Energy Efficiency/Green
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- June 12, 2008
- Submitted by sclopez
- Greenwashing Index Rating: 2.47
- Rate it »
- Total Ads Submitted: 120
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- Greenwashing Awareness Goes Mainstream

- EnviroMedia's Greenwashing Index is featured in a Newsweek International Edition (July 7-14) focusing on "Green Countries: A Global Report on Nations Doing the Most, and Least, to Clean Up the Environment." The Greenwashing Index is included in a special "Eco Lessons" section feature story called "Save The Planet, Lose the Guilt." Read the article.
- View the Jan. 31 TODAY Show segment on greenwashing, featuring EnviroMedia’s Valerie Davis.
Read the news release.
Greenwashing:
It’s Not Black and White
Welcome to the Greenwashing Index — home of the world’s first online interactive forum that allows consumers to evaluate real advertisements making environmental claims. “Going green” has become mainstream for businesses large and small — and that’s a good thing. What’s not so great is when businesses make environmental marketing claims that can be misleading. The intent of this Web site is to:
- Help consumers become more savvy about evaluating environmental marketing claims of advertisers;
- Hold businesses accountable to their environmental marketing claims; and
- Stimulate the market and demand for sustainable business practices that truly reduce the impact on the environment.
The integrity of today’s green ads can range from outstanding to outrageous, so it’s important for consumers to educate themselves on what makes environmental marketing claims truly authentic. The Greenwashing Index is an automated tool that provides five simple criteria developed by advertising academia and weighted according to their relevance in marketing claims. So, if you’ve seen a good or bad ad heralding the environmental qualities of a product or company, post it here, rank it according to the Greenwashing Index, and then come back to see how other consumers score it.
Register an account to start posting and rating ads.
Learn more about the criteria for the Greenwashing Index.
Commentary
The Greenwashing Index: A Six-Month Review and Plans for the Future
July 1, 2008
Posted by Dr. Kim Sheehan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Advertising
University of Oregon
We spent some time talking about green issues with like-minded folks yesterday, and I started thinking about some of the good … and not so good … messages that we've seen posted on the Greenwashing Index. In terms of green advertising, we could segment the ads currently airing into three groups:
- What our company does (to help protect/save the environment).
- What our company can do (what technologies are available for our company to improve our product or service that will help protect/save the environment).
- What you can do (to help protect/save the environment).
Let’s look at each of these types of messages.
Greenwashing News
- Claim Greenness at Your Own Risk
by Kevin Tuerff, Harvard Business Journal - Greenwashing Index on San Diego Living
- GWI: Brandweek “Bright Idea for 2008”
- Can restaurant chains sell Las Vegans on their new eco-cred?
- Save the Planet, Lose the Guilt
(Newsweek International, July 7) - Everybody is going green, but is it for real?
NBC-TV Seattle affiliate featuring Kevin Tuerff (June. 16, 2008) - Avoid being 'green-washed'
ABC-TV Seattle affiliate featuring Kevin Tuerff (June. 17, 2008) - Texas duo patrols ads for abuse of eco-claims (Washington Times)
- Going Green? Soul-Search First
- Green Claims: A Great Opportunity to Connect—or Not—With Consumers